Plans proceed to remove Taunton dams

Touting potential benefits to river ecology and public safety, a group of state, federal and nonprofit entities aim to proceed this summer with plans to remove a series of dams on the Mill and Cotley rivers.

Touting potential benefits to river ecology and public safety, a group of state, federal and nonprofit entities aim to proceed this summer with plans to remove a series of dams on the Mill and Cotley rivers.

“Many dams were built decades or centuries ago to power mills or factories that no longer exist,” explained Brian Graber, the northeast director of American Rivers’ river restoration program.

Cutting through a wooded area along Hopewell Street and behind Taunton State Hospital, the Mill River rushes over the Taunton State Hospital dam. Behind the dam, the water is held back and expands into a wide pond in the shadow of the state hospital. Tall grass and cattails line the shore, and it’s not uncommon to see swans and geese gliding along the water’s surface.

That pond will soon disappear.

Working with the state, which owns the old dam, a host of project partners plan to remove the structure this summer, restoring the river to its original natural state. Over time, more than five acres of flood plain will replace the pond, and the river will settle into its original channel.

The Whittenton Dam spillway and the Cotely River Dam are slated for removal in the future, but no timetable is set for those projects.

“The benefits of the project are to restore a free-flowing river with improved water quality, and to improve fisheries and wildlife habitat,” said Beth Lambert, river restoration coordinator with the state Division of Ecological Restoration.

Kingfishers, painted turtles, box turtles, leopard frogs and pickerel frogs are among the new species Lambert expects to return to the area.

Removing the dam also has a public safety benefit, she said.

“That dam is deteriorating, and removing it removes the threat of a catastrophic dam burst,” Lambert said.

Of more than 3,000 dams in Massachusetts, fewer than 50 were built for flood control. Many dams were built during the Industrial Revolution to power mills and factories, the majority of which ceased to operate decades ago. The State Hospital Dam, for example, was constructed in 1818 to power the long-defunct Hopewell Factory.

Removal vs. repair

Although the project hasn’t yet gone out to bid, it’s estimated that it will cost approximately $700,000 to remove the State Hospital Dam. That expenditure would also cover the cost of planting trees and other vegetation in the drained pond, restoring the flood plain and river channel and managing sediment trapped by the dam, Graber said.

Repairing the dam, in contrast, would cost around $250,000, according to a 2007 estimate, Lambert said. Graber said an engineer who did a more recent estimate for American Rivers determined a repair could cost more than $400,000.

“Removing the dams also eliminates any need for future maintenance or repairs beyond these initial estimates, so the removal vs. repair costs are not a perfect one-to-one comparison,” Graber added.

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Reducing flooding risk

Upstream from Taunton State Hospital, there are also plans to remove the deteriorating stone spillway that the Army Corps of Engineers installed in 2005 to replace the old Whittenton Dam.

In October 2005, the old wooden Whittenton Dam threatened to give way after a period of heavy rain, prompting the city to evacuate hundreds of residents.

“The major risk of flooding surrounding dams now is the sudden failure of a dam,” Graber said.

Rick Ferreira, director of the Taunton Emergency Management Agency, still has vivid memories of the 2005 dam crisis. While he said dam removal doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of flooding, it certainly reduces it.

“When you take away the impoundment, rivers seem to go back to their natural flow,” Ferreira said. “I think they all want to take out dams because dams create the problems. I think having less dams is better.”

In addition to removing dams, the state is also working to replace the Morey’s Bridge Dam, which forms Lake Sabbatia.

Response to plans

State Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, who has sponsored legislation to secure funding for dam projects, said he is supportive of the work, including replacing Morey’s Bridge Dam and removing dams farther downstream.

“Certainly I support efforts to remove those dams that are not useful and to keep riverways open, not only for recreational use, but to bring these areas back to their natural settings,” he said.

Melissa Wapenski, who’s lived next to the Whittenton Dam for 33 years, was one of the city residents forced to evacuate in 2005.

“I think there needs to be a way to control the water flow,” she said. If plans to remove the Whittenton Dam proceed, she said she’ll miss having a pond in her backyard.

“I grew up fishing in the backyard and canoeing there,” she said.

Lambert said she realizes such a change can be difficult for people to accept, but said the new habitat will provide new opportunities to experience nature.

“I think change is hard for people when they are accustomed to the impoundment created by a dam and grow to like that view,” she said. “Unfortunately, the impoundment is the result of a dam owned by a dam owner who bears responsibility for the upkeep, maintenance and liability for injury or damage that could be caused by a catastrophic dam burst.”

Partners involved in the Mill River Restoration Project

• Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD)